My Telegraph subscription.

For the past 20 years I have renewed an annual subscription with the Telegraph. Its delivered to my door at around 7.20 am every day by arrangement with the local newsagent. For many a year now I would start my day with a bath at 7.30 am where I would read the sport pages of the Telegraph, migrating from there for the morning cappuccino where I would read the main section of the paper. 30 minutes each day of worthy time investment.

There would always be some piece of journalism that would make me remark on how excellent the Telegraph was. Some story that made me the richer for knowing and enabled me to enjoy the pleasure of sharing with others in the knowledge that I was disseminating information for the betterment of all. An emissary for the highest good if you will. In many a conversation whilst traveling abroad I would refer to the standard of writing in the Telegraph as one of the great things about living in Britain.

But in the past few years I have become aware of change. Change for the worse. The stories frequently appear to me no longer the product of independent thought. Rather I began to notice a trend. An absence of what I felt were the big news items in the world and a preponderance of trivia. Yes MP's expenses are interesting - but not nearly interesting enough to fill page after endless page with whilst making no reference to far more serious abrogations of Ministerial responsibility - like those MP's responsible involving Britain in sick cruel and costly wars with Countries who represent no threat to Britain - or indeed anyone other than themselves. I am far more interested in Blair's accountability as a hypocritical lying Bush-licking war-monger than some nobody-MP-from-nowhere fiddling a mobile phone call.

In a nutshell - the Telegraph no longer presents news that holds my interest. In cow-towing to prevailing commercial and political pressures, the editor and his team have distanced themselves from my interest whilst simultaneously offending my sense of fairness in regard to misrepresenting what is important. Upgrading trivia in the name of PC and commercial interest over real and relevant issues of the day.

Why then should I sign up for another year of paying the £300 plus that it costs for me to see the Telegraph appear in my hallway each morning? If I cant change the way they operate with my words at least I can change it with my consumer dollar - the most powerful force for change known to man.

All that remains now is the familiarity argument. For so long now I have loved the morning paper that the thoughts of waking up to find the hallway without that image - the folded broadsheet, is a little unnerving. But my decision is made. And the deadline for renewal is today.

The Telegraph do not miss a trick though, and someone there noticed my failure to send in the annual payment. Yesterday a well spoken young lady called to remind me that the renewal deadline was fast approaching. I explained that I was not renewing because I was 'disenchanted with the news.'
Information which blunted her sales pitch considerably.

So an era for me has ended. No more Telegraph delivered to my door. I don't imagine this separation will be easy. We have been so close for so long, but I stand determined. My place in the relationship has been taken for granted and I have become no more than a patsy. Something has to change and this is it.

I will let you know how things work out.